Why You Should Avoid Elevators

That is why, for the last two decades, I have not subscribed to the elevator speech doctrine. Instead, I use the “anti-elevator speech.” This speech is not a pitch or a commercial, but an invitation to start a conversation.

1) Make it short. Since the attention span of the average adult has shrunk, you have less time to catch his or her attention. “You dream it up, we make it happen” is about the longest you would want your hook to be. The hook for my current company, “We excite audiences,” is even shorter. 2) Make it confusing. Nowhere in your hook should you ever tell how you do what you do. When you start with “I’m a car dealer,” people jump to conclusions. Don’t make them jump to conclusions. Make them jump to confusion. I’m sure no one has guessed what type of company “You dream it up, we make it happen” describes. That’s what you want. If you can make them ask for the information, they are more likely to be interested and will remember what you said. 3) Tell people exactly what you do, but not how you do it. If you sell high-end sports cars, you sell an experience. If you supply home loans, you sell the American dream. If you sell drill bits, you sell holes. Great business people realize they need to focus on what the customer wants to buy, not on what they have to sell. What do you really do? 4) Reach out to them where they live. People respond to emotions and actions. If you can connect with this part, their interest in you will rise. In my hook, the word “dream” fulfills this requirement. In my current hook, “We excite audiences,” excite is a great word. Other words, such as love, hate, push, drive, exhausted, stress and joy, also work.

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